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“THE VIVID ROSE-RED OF THE SUN-RISE HAD TURNED BISCAYNE BAY 
INTO A VISION OF EDEN.” 



DOWN MIAMI 

BY 

HANSON BROCK 

" u 


Illustrations from photographs by 
the Claude C. Matlack Company 



THE TROPIC PRESS 
Miami, Florida 



COPYRIGHT 1920 
BY 

THE TROPIC -PRESS 


Dedicated to 


Luke McLuke 


who puts a smile into every sunrise 
and two into cloudy dawns 



In this little ephemeral story the smiles are pre- 
sented to yon by : 

Doctor Luke Lancaster — ‘‘de doinest doctor dat 
eber did/’ 

Miss Courtney — the harassed' heroine. 

Dorothy Lee — just a girl. 

Miss Burnett — who is capable of introducing her- 
self. 

Billy Carroll — a carefree Ensign. 

Mr. Mardi Chase — who is scarcely a social joy. 

Francis Clifford — a Francis X. Bushman hero. 

Isaac and Mammy — relics of the old South. 



s 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The vivid rose-red of the sunrise had turned Biscayne 
Bay into a vision of Eden Frontispiece 

Its dark, cool streets over-hung with great oaks, 

Far across the bay, ever imploring to come closer to 
this enticing Paradise . . . the Atlantic. 

She led the way along the path 

“Ah wuz er cropin’ eroun’ on de Jungle Road.” 

The long row of lights on Collins Bridge — two miles 
and a half of them. 



V 





DOWN MIAMI 


PROLOGUE. 

One summer day, in nineteen-nineteen, an Ameri- 
can Lieutenant and his detachment of men stood on the 
station platform of a small German town waiting for 
the train that was to carry them back into Belgium. 
Nearby stood a stocky German, and beside him a crate 
containing a number of dachshund puppies. 

The soldiers crowded about the crate, laughing at 
the quaintly built little creatures. The German in- 
formed them that he had been Royal Kennel-master for 
twenty years, and that he was now taking these puppies 
to the Crown Prince, in his retreat. He told' them that 
the Crown Prince was a master trainer of dogs. He 
said that once Friedrich had two dachshunde which he 
desired to teach to sit on their haunches and hold their 
forelegs out straight. It would be a pretty sight when 
he took them out driving with him. But the dogs re- 
fused to hold out their legs, like ramrods, and the 
Prince, becoming greatly exasperated, snatched one 
by the scruff of the neck and, burying its nose in the 
earth, choked it to death. Then to be sure that the 


PAGE ONE 


PROLOGUE 


other would hold out its legs properly, Friedrich Wil- 
helm broke both of them. As it could never bend them, 
they were indeed as straight as ramrods, and His Im- 
perial Highness was well pleased. 

Other similar tales the Royal Kennel-master told 
to the Americans as they stood waiting for their train, 
and they were truly convinced that Friedrich Wilhelm 
was unique in his methods of dog training. 

The Lieutenant was an adorer of dogs, and in- 
stantly he became most desirous to own a part, if not 
all, of the Royal Kennel. But although he offered 
fabulous sums for the crate of puppies, the German 
would part with only two of the little creatures. 

So the Lieutenant had to be contented with these, 
which were rapidly transferred into a convenient bas- 
ket, and the train arriving almost at that moment, 
these two members of the Hohenzollern family started 
on their long journey to Miami, Florida, the home of 
the young soldier. 


PAGE TWO 


MORNING 



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I*, 







CHAPTER ONE. 


Lieutenant Donald Courtney sister unclosed her 
lovely eyes one morning and found her old servant, 
Mammy Jo, standing beside her bed, curiously examin- 
ing a yellow envelope, which she now offered her 
young mistress. 

‘^La, Young MisV^ exclaimed the old woman, 
‘^heah am one of dose writings which done come clar 
across de ocean and ’tain’t wet, nuther. Huccum?’’ 

cried the Girl,’ ^^give it to me. Mammy! It 
is from Marse Donald,” she read, ‘^sent from Paris, and 
he is sending over a pair of puppies from the Royal 
German kennels. Just think, Mammy, what a long, 
long journey for the poor little things. I do wonder 
what they can be like. 

The Girl lay back among her snowy piUows and 
gazed up into the great oak tree that hung close above 
her sleeping-porch. Among its branches a mocking bird 
had hidden, and every leaf of the tree vibrated with 
the son,g, passionately sweet, that poured out into the 
blue-gold morning. Though he had been singing long 
before the vivid rose-red of the sunrise had turned Bis- 


PAGE FIVE 


DOWN MIAMI 


cayne Bay into a vision of Eden, he seemed not at all 
weary, but kept ever introducing new trills and 
yodelings into each cemto, and to the girl^s half drowsy 
amazement his tune ever rose in swelling crescendos. 

‘^Good gracious !'' she cried at last, ‘^how much 
louder and longer can you sing? I believe you've been 
at it the whole ni,ght through. * ' But he only replied to 
her with an ecstatic carolling, and she bathed, brushed 
and dressed to his sweet Florida morning tune. 

Now ‘^Down Miami" all the air is replete with 
song and Mammy, too, sang as she polished long rows 
of glass in the library, and just outside in the rose 
garden her husband', old Isaac, sought among the lux- 
uriant bushes the baneful slug. 

He picked half a dozen dead leaves from the jacqui- 
minot and thrust his watering-can farther in among the 
boughs. 

‘‘Heah, yo' rose-water roses, stand up dar, and 
don't go ter gittin' no mo' ob dem little green bugs 
on yer laigs. To’ pears ter git er heap er comfort doin’ 
things yo’ oughtn’t ter do. Ah’s jest got so much ter 
do Ah guesses Ah ’ll go an’ take er lil nap.’’ 

He had' just turned to carry out this pleasant in* 
tention when his young mistress, queen rose of all the 


PAG E SIX 


DOWN MIAMI 


Wely garden of roses, appeared unexpectedly at liis 
side. 

‘‘Good morning, Isaac, isn^t the garden beautiful 
this morning? Just see Marse Donald’s Marechal Neil; 
there’s a rose on it, I think, for every day he’s been 
away. I had a cable from him just now. He’s still in 
Paris.” 

She began swiftly cutting silvery pink Hermosas 
as she spoke. The mocking-bird had now flown to the 
garden, where he was singing a Te Deum Laudamus to 
all the roses, world without end, from the very top of 
the poinsettia busK 

“And, Isaac, just think, the Girl spoke again, “he 
has sent home two dogs from away across the ocean. 
I can scarcely wait to see them.” 

“All specs dat is dey er cornin’, Young Mis’,” said 
the old man, “an’ yer ain’t gwine ter have ter wait 
none.” 

As the Girl looked up a smiling expressman drove 
into the yard and unloaded a foreign-looking crate. 
Through its wire top she saw two inquiring noses and 
tour very bright eyes. 

While she signed the book Isaac cut seals and un- 
twisted wires and when the lid was lifted there leaped 


PAGE SEVEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


out two streaks of brown and golden tan, each over a 
yard long and' very low to the ground, a half a dog 
high and two dogs long. 

Isaac emitted loud chuckles. 

‘‘Dey is live sausages. Young Mis; yo’ can^t fool 
dis br niggah.^’ 

The expressman’s astonishment had ruffles on it. 
He could hardly believe his eyes. 

‘‘There ain’t no such dawg,” he muttered. 

the Girl sat down on the dewy grass and took the 
two panting little Huns in her arms. 

“You poor little puppies, what a long, long journey 
you’ve come! And your coats are scented with your 
terrible battlefields, but now you shall roll it all off in 
my rose leaves until you are sweet and clean.” 

Isaac still giggled. 

“Young Mis’, dey is done got their hind laigs mixed 
up wid dey necks, an’ yo’ can’t teU wedder dey is 
cornin’ br a-goin’.” 

The twn little dogs were how rolling madly on the 
grass; they paused between rolls to scamper wildly 
after each other, leaping and bounding with the joy of 
freedom after long weeks of confinement. 

The Girl and the old darky were laughing at their 


PAGE EIGHT 


DOWN MIAMI 


romping, when suddenly a hen from next door flew 
down from the top of the wall to see what all the fun 
was about. 

Alas for poor Biddy, for both the dachs gave a 
leap ; then came an agonized squawk, mingled' with de- 
lighted yelpings, and Isaac cried out excitedly as he 
strove to rescue the neighbor chicken. Only a minute 
of it all ; then the Girl gave a dismayed shriek as the 
old man held up a lifeless fat pullet. 

‘‘Oh, Isaac, what shall I do? It^s one of Mrs. Mac- 
Neil’s lovely Cochins, and if she finds it out she’ll be 
angry at me, terribly angry.” 

“La, Young Mis’,” grinned Isaac, “Mis’ MacNeil 
ain’t gwine ter find out nothin’ about this yere hen 
from me. Ah calls it plum proverdential, ’cause Ah’s 
jes’ been honin’ fer a chicken pie.” He was gone be- 
fore his sentence was scarcely finished, and the two 
shining-eyed, demoralized boches went with him. 

The Girl hasf.ly gathered up the signs of the com- 
bat and sighed: “I can’t just tell her. I haven’t the 
courage, for she adores her chickens. This is just what 
I might have expected from a German dog — absolutely 
no morals. The little beasts !” 

She had scarcely concealed the poor feathers when 


PAGE NINE 


DOWN MIAMI 


Mrs. MacNeil came through her grapefruit grove, call- 
ing, calling. Then her pretty face peeped over the 
green-clad wall. 

‘‘Oh, good-morning! Have you seen one of my 
Cochins ? She has slipped out of her pen and I thought 
perhaps she might have flown over into your garden. 
I really must clip her wings. 

One of your Cochins?’^ faltered the Girl miser- 
ably. 

“Yes, one of the yellow hens that you so admire.” 

“Oh,” said the Girl, and she rose. But at this 
crucial moment, to her horror, Isaac appeared at the 
edge of the garden, holding a handful of damp yellow 
feathers. Seeing Mrs. MacNeil, however, before she 
discovered him, he promptly hid them beneath his 
apron. 

“Oh, Isaac, come and search for one of Mrs. Mac- 
Neirs hens; she thinks it may have flown over here,” 
commanded the Girl, desperately. The old man dropped' 
to his knees as if he were shot; he cratwled beneath 
shrubs and bushes, uttering shrill and horrid shoos, 
that sounded in the stillness of the serene morning 
like a steam calliope. 

Mrs. MacNeil seemed fascinated by his peculiar 


P AG EST 


DOWN MIAMI 


assiduity, but the GirPs anxious eyes discovered a 
feather lying here and there in his trail, and she, too, 
ran, feigning to search, furtively gathering the russet 
auguries of perfidy. 

There ain’t no fowl heah nowhar,” panted Isaac 
from beneath a gard'en seat. 

^^Oh, never mind hunting any more,” cried the 
lady, disappearing, and her voice came faintly from be- 
yond the wall, ”she may have gone quite across the 
street, you know.” 

The Girl sank dismally down on a garden bench. 
She was very unhappy over the miserable affair, and 
Isaac discreetly vanished before she had time to speak. 


CHAPTER TWO. 


Miami ! What infinite charm the very name implies ! 
If you have crossed the bridge intoi the Southside and 
lingered along its dark, cool streets, overhung with 
great oaks that are almost hidden from view with their 
parasites of flowing Spanish moss, tree lUies, with 
pearly gray blooms, dark ferns and scarlet-blossomed 
air-plants ; if you have wandered on and on, past Carl 
Fisher ^s Shadows toward the James Peering place, 
Viscaya, you must then know of the many homes 
that lay concealed from the street along the bay front. 

A fairyland, every one of them, nestled in tropical 
Eoliage and banks of brilliant flowers. Colors of coral, 
rosy-purple, violet and gold. Groves of shining green, 
with globes of golden fruit. Birds singing all through 
the long dolce far niente days, and always the honey- 
sweet, wine-strong zephyrs from the opalescent bay. 

Far across the bay, ever imploring to come closer 
to this enticing Paradise, you can see, through the cuts, 
the Atlantic, and now and then catch a glimpse of a 
great ship bound for Havana or eastern ports. 

In one of these charming homes — Only, Only 


PAGE TWELVE 



“IT’S DARK, COOL STREETS OVERHUNG WITH GREAT OAKS.” 



DOWN MIAMI 


Land — lived the Girl. Her father was a Justice and 
he, with her mother, was now in Washington. 

The Girl was one of those bewitching, modem 
Southern girls. She handled her own car and launch 
anid sailboat as one who knew no fear, being a thor- 
oughly out-of-doors bit of winsomeness. She was an 
intrepid swimmer and diver and she danced like the 
South wind among the palm fronds. 

The two old servants, Isaac and Mammy, had been 
with the famliy as long as anyone could remember. 
There were other servants at Only, Only Land, but 
none so privileged as they. 

The Girl sat unhappily in the garden, when sud- 
denly a pair of soft hands were clasped over her eyes 
and a gay voice laughed beside her. 

‘ ^ Guess whom ? ’ ^ it said. 

Dorothy! Of course I can guess, you darling! 
I’m so glad you’ve come. Fancy you coming away out 
here so early, too!” And then a very lovely girl sat 
beside her and clasped her delightedly. It was Dor- 
othy Lee, from Miami Beach. 

“I was so afraid that if I came later I might not 
find you at home, and because I did not want mother to 
know where I was going I could not very well tele- 


PAGK THIRTE BN 


DOWN MIAMI 


phone, you see. I must call her up, though, after a 
while. ^ ^ 

**But why mustn't she know you're here?’' asked 
the Girl, puzzled. 

Because I've picked up Luke in Miami, and we 
are going to stay the week-end with you. Luke and I 
are going to marry, you know, but mother doesn't know 
a thing about it." 

‘*But why doesn't she like him? I think he is a 
perfect dear." 

“Well, you see it's like this. Luke specializes in 
veterinary surgery, and mother has a rooted, a very 
deep prejudice against all veterinarians in general. 
She — er — fancies they all have a horsey odor, for one 
thing." 

At this rather trying point in the conversation 
a teasing voice, just behind them, drawled : 

‘ ‘ Then we '11 have to break the bad news to her as 
we would a bad egg — gently, you know." 

Luke, very slender, very young, very Southern in 
his coloring, now appeared. His charming smile, dis- 
closing even rows of milk-white teeth, brought constant 
joy to his friends, for its very spontaniety made it 
simply an enravishing grin. 


PAGE FOURTE EN 


DOWN MIAMI 


Dorothy fluttered into his arms and the Girl clasp- 
ed a brown hand as she laughed at them. 

*‘What a simply dreadful time you two infanta 
have, poor things ! ^ * 

“Well, you see Dot fell for my uniform, like a 
heap of poor Janes, w'ho are packing their love away 
with the uniform in the cedar chest. But tell us. Beau- 
tiful, why did you raise your dogs to be sausages?’* 
But at this moment there came toward them across 
the velvet lawn a very stately young woman wearing 
a severely tailored costume and, seeing her, the Girl 
ran to greet her. 

“Jeannette, such a surprise! I thought you were 
in New York.” 

“The Committee at Headquarters sent me down 
here to form more of our leagues in Dade County, ’ ’ ex- 
plained the young lady, removing her gloves, “and 
your mother wished very much for me to spend as much 
time as I possibly could with you. So here I am, dear 
child, for this week-end.” The Girl led her to the 
lovers on the bench. 

“These are my friends, Dorothy Lee and Doctor 
Luke Lancaster, Miss Burnett. Jeannette goes in for 
suffrage, you know.” 


PAGE FIFTEEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


does mother/’ murmured Dorothy. 

Jeannette gazed with tired eyes at the enchanting 
garden and listened with rapture to the bird notes. 

‘‘ A few days among these glorious roses are ex- 
actly what I need to recover my poise and acquire fresh 
impetus for our noble Cause.” 

^^Oh,” Dot gave a funny little squeal. ‘^If I had 
to go to the polls and vote I’d just scream!” 

“You’d better learn to get off a street car right 
first, Dot, before you try to boss the world,” drawled 
the young doctor. Then he added: “WeU, look who’s 
here! Jo^ny’s in town.” 

Thq very handsome young officer ih ensigii’s uni- 
form saluted as he smiled at them from the little white 
gate in the garden wall. The Girl ran to meet this 
latest guest, her old play-fellow, and Donald’s “buddy” 
all through the war. Hand in hand they came to the 
three on the bench. 

“Luke, old horse, the last time I saw you was on 
the Marne. We didn’t either of us look quite so dolled 
up then, did we^ Donald will be home next month, 
that is, he hopes to be home, which is a bit different, 
eh, what? Just wait until you see what he has sent 
you from the Paris shops, little girl! I was in 


PA QE S I XTE EN 


DOWN MIAMI 


Miami yesterday, Luke. I scarcely recognized the old 
town. ’ * 

‘‘Yesterday scoffed Luke, clapping him on the 
back. “Gosh, wait till you see it today, old thing. I 
never know it myself, mornings.’^ 

“But did those dogs get out all right t” asked 
Billy. 

“Did they? The wretched little fiends. I thought 
the German army had arrived an hour ago,” and the 
Girl told the sad story of the poor yellow hen. 

“Donald paid two thousand dollars for the little 
roigues. S'o you must be very careful of them,” said 
the ensign. “You know how crazy he is over dogs and 
how tender-hearted. Well, when he heard some of the 
kennel-master’s tales of the Clown Prince’s method of 
dog-training, h^ was determined to buy the whole 
bloomin’ kennel. Never mind, little girl; I’m here to 
help you look after them a few days.” 

“Oh, thank you, kind sir,” quoth the Girl. 

“How’s suffrage, Jeannette?” asked the ensign. 
“I have heard that the fair sex are voting in Miami. I 
suppose you feel quite triumphant. You are right in 
the limelight all the time, aren’t you?” 

“Yes, and we intend to continue to occupy the 


PAGE SEVENTEEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


direct center of the stage/ ^ she replied, with spirit. 

We have let you men run the w’orld quite long enough, 
and just §ee What a deplorable mess you have made of 
things. We women are quite tired of being classed 
with idiots and negroes!"’ 

^^What,” teased the ensign, don’t you allow ne- 
groes to vote down here?” 

”Oh, don’t talk politics,” cried the alarmed 
hostess. ‘‘Talk about the weather.” 

‘‘The weather,” drawled Luke, “is scandal because 
of the breeze up Twelfth street. We can’t talk weather, 
old dear.” 

Dorothy shook him gently. 

“You’ve heard some one else say that. Just wait 
till we’re married. I’ll keep you quite away from that 
old club.” 

“Oh, yes, sure,” replied the doctor. “When we’re 
married I intend to start wearmg sideburns and take 
to chewing tobacco. Nothing makes me sick!” 

Just then there came a strange commotion from 
within the house and a tempestuous voice called : 

“Niece! Niece!” 

The Girl turned pale. 

“That must be my uncle!” she gasped. 


PAGE EIGHTEEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


At that instant a grim-looking old gentleman came 
slowly down the steps into the garden, clinging deter- 
minedly to a bag, a stick and an ear-trumpet, all of 
which Isaac was hospitably trying to wrest away from 
him. An abundance of curly white hair and the rosiest, 
chubbiest face imaginable made him appear a very 
agreeable Santa Claus sort of old boy. 

‘‘Buckets of blood, groaned the young doctor, 
“it^s her rich old' uncle. He’s going to leave her and 
Donald all his millions, so let’s stay with the poor girl. 
Get him a chair. Bill, get him two chairs!” 


CHAPTER THREE. 


So they all helped establish the groaning old gen- 
tleman in a great wicker chair among the roses, al- 
though his niece timidly suggested that he might be 
more comfortable inside the house. 

“No, I won’t go in,^’ he said firmly. “I like to be 
among the young. I thought you might be lonely with 
your father and mother away, so I came to spend the 
week-end with you, and I may stay until they come 
home. My rheumatism is a great deal worse, niece. 
I’ve tried every fool doctor in Miami, too, but doctors 
nowadays are a lot of shallow-brained robbers. All 
they want is my money. I could write a book, folks, on 
rheumatism and the fool advice I’ve had given me and 
the poison I’ve swallowed. Look at this,” and he 
opened his bag. “An old nigger brought me in a bottle 
of snake oil the other day. He wanted to rub it on my 
joints. Made it himself out of six blacksnakes and two 
rattlers. Uncanny stuff, by gosh ! Here it is ; want to 
smell of it?” He held it out suddenly to Dorothy, who 
jumped. 

“Oh, Mr. Chase, have pity!” she shrieked. 


PAGE TWENTY 


DOWN MIAMI 


The young doctor peered into the bag at the collec- 
tion of bottles and boxes that the r'heumatic sufferer 
haid accumulated. 

“Tell you what, Mr. Chase,’’ he ventured, good- 
naturedly, “mix all that stuff together and see if it 
won’t cure you in one dose.” 

^ ‘ Suffering cats, man, do you want me to explode 
asked the invalid with indignation. 

“Oh, Mr. Chase, don’t take it here in the garden, 
please don’t !” shrieked Dorothy, dancing in horrid an- 
ticipation. 

Miss Burnett, wishing very much to bring about 
an atmosphere of tranquillity and repose, ran to the 
clump of banana trees growing against the wall and 
tried to make polite conversation by attracting the 
irascible old gentleman’s attention to a ripe yellow 
banana that she had pulled. 

“Are you fond of bananas?” she mooed genially. 

“What’s that, Miss?” he asked, using his ear- 
trumpet for the first time, and leering at her wickedly. 

Again the valiant young lady repeated her gentle 
question, this time in the tones of a suffrage platform 
lecturer. 

“I thought you asked me if I wore pajamas,” the 


PAGE TWENTY -ONE 


DOWN MIAMI 


invalid said naively. 

Isaac created a diversion at this embarrassing 
overflow of conversation by shuffling in with the in- 
terested Huns at his heels. 

‘‘Young Mis^ Mis^ Fields^ house-boy done bring 
you a writiu^ from her, and he brung her cat wid de oys- 
ter-f edder tail, and short years f er yo ’ ter take care ob 
for her.^^ 

The girl unfolded' the- note. 

“Suffering cats!’^ fairly howled the old gentle- 
man, as his eyes fell upon the pair of happy dogs. 
“Where did those mongrels come from? D^ye mean 
to say that anyone with good sense would have such 
fool-looking dogs around? If any member of my fam- 
ily has been squandering their money buying such curs 
Fll disown them!” and he brought his fist down with 
such a thump that his entire audience jumped. 

The house-boy now appeared, holding a struggling 
angora, and both dogs yelped with unholy glee when 
they saw her. The angora spit and clawed for free- 
dom, while the invalid pounded furiously with his stick 
for peace and quiet. 

“Mrs. Fields has asked me to keep her cat for her 
for a few days, ’ * gasped the Girl. 


PAGE TWENTY-TWO 


DOWN MIAMI 


“Haw, haw,’ Young Mis’,” chortled old Isaac, 
“dese yere little hounds want de job of lookin’ after 
dat cat ! ” 

“Here, you fool nigger!” shouted Mr, Chase, “quit 
your gabbing and fetch me a pitcher of good, strong 
limeade.” 

Isaac departed with alacrity. 

“Someone throw something at that fool mock- 
ing-bird,” continued the invalid. “He has kept up his 
infernal din ever since I got here. Suffering cats, niece, 
can’t your father find a gardener who can raise some- 
thing besides roses? Not a bright, cheerful flower on 
the place I This garden only needs a corpse to make it 
a regular funeral. Why, my mother used to have rows 
and rows of red hysterias, yellow spitunias and red 
salivas, and purple what-nots everywhere. If my fool 
legs feel well enough tomorrow I shall dig up a lot of 
these roses and plant some real flowers to surprise 
your father ! ’ ’ 

And out in the big white kitchen old Isaac was 
saying to Mammy, as he squeezed limes and cracked ice : 

“Ah suah hopes dat bunch of misery ain’t gwme 
ter stay heah till kingdom come.” 

“Maybe his visit am only temporary,” replied 


PAGE TWENTY-THREE 


DOWN MIAMI 

Mammy, who loved to use big words. 

‘‘Ah suah hopes dat ain’t de case,” replied Isaac 
groaning, “ ’cause Young Mis’ done sing it am a long, 
long way to temporary.” 


CHAPTER FOUR. 


‘‘Smoke asked the doctor in the disdained gar- 
den, and he offered the doleful Croesus a choice Havana 
which was accepted, suspiciously. The doctor continued 
undauntedly : 

“That’s a gooid'-looking harness you have on, Mr. 
Chase,’' but Mr. Chase only grunted. 

“Tell you what, Mr. Chase, I bet I can cure your 
rheumatism. I bet I can limber up your legs so you 
can trot in the first-class. Want to take me?” 

Mr. Chase now became slightly interested and he 
lifted his trumpet the better to hear this forward youth, 
just as the doddering old negro approached with the 
limeade, and asked; 

“Where shall Ah be so kind as to set it, sah?” 

At that same instant Mr. Chase shouted to the doc- 
tor as he held the lifted trumpet : 

“Go ahead and do it, sir; go ahead and cure mel” 

Isaac, already intimidated, became confused and, 
supposing it must be a new cure that Young Mis’ uncle 
was trying, hastily lifted the pitcher and poured the 
limeade into the trumpet. 


PAGE TWENTY-FIVE 


DOWN MIAMI 


Extremely tumultous now became the once tranquil 
garden. There was a simultaneous fleeing of the 
young people, including the angora, which sought the 
top of the bougainvillea arbor. If Isaac had not flown 
like the wind from the reviling and infuriated old gen- 
tleman, there would probably have been one less in 
the ‘‘white man^s burden.’^ 

The Girl strove in vain as she brushed bits of ice 
and lime off the “good-looking harness” to soothe her 
uncle’s wounded feelings and restore him to calmness. 

“Just let me catch that black devil near me while 
I’m here ! !” he bawled. “Just let me catch sight of h i m ^ 
that’s all I ask I Now call that wench to carry up these 
thipgs, and I’ll go to my room and get in some dry 
clothes.” 

The Girl flew to the kitchen. 

“Mammy, where are you?” she called. 

Mammy came in from the pantry. 

“Heah Ah is, Young Mis’. Ah is jes been er loadin’ 
up de powerless cookah. Ah’s gwine ter have oawn 
pudden ’ an ’ ’ ’ 

“Never mind that now, Mammy, but take my uncle 
up stairs and make him comfortable in the red room, 
then come down after this tray.” 


PAGK TWENTY-SIX 


DOWN MIAMI 


“Young Mis^ what dat fool niggah done lock him- 
self up in de kerriage-house f er, wid dem two weasels ? ’ * 

“Never mind, Mammy, let him stay there T* re- 
plied the Girl. 

Mr. Chase allowed himself to be assisted up the 
winding white stairway, but as he went he mentioned 
to the world in unmistakable terms his opinions of the 
colored race in general. 

“I only miss two things from out of this house,” 
said the Girl to herself, as she prepared a tray of liquid 
refreshments to be taken to her imcle’s room, and 
which she earnestly hoped' might have the desired ef- 
fects, “and those are a parrot and a new-born babyl” 


CHAPTER FIVE. 


When the Girl rejoined her young guests in the 
garden she found Miss Burnett discoursing at length 
^n woman suffrage to a more or less sympathetic aud- 
ience. 

^‘Yes/^ she was saying with passion, ‘^suffrage 
means emancipation for that poor, ignominious 
Irudge, who toils eighteen hours a day for her husband 
and children, without wages, with no voice of her own, 
ind absolutely no appreciation. You men constemtly 
reiterate, like parrots, that a woman ^s place is in her 
home. Why, even the wretched wife of the first cave- 
man 

^‘Oh, come, now, Jeannette, that’s all bally punk, 
you know. I bet a flivver the poor worm worshiped 
his iwife, and I bet she was some pill, too! What d’ye 
say, old horse?” interrupted the ensign. 

‘*I say,” drawled the young doctor, ‘‘never fight 
with a woman unless she’s your wife.” 

“Oh, is that so?” cried Dorothy, heatedly. “So 
you intend to fight me when we’re married, do you?” 

“You tell ’em, Dot. No wonder people who envy 


P A G Ifi T W E N T Y -E I G H T 


DOWN MIAMI 


a chap on his wedding day pity him on his first anni- 
versary ! ’ ’ — 

‘*You poor fish!^’ furiously returned his sweet- 
heart, ‘^111 never speak to you again, and she rushed 
Into the house. 

*‘La, la,’^ drawled the young doctor. ^‘Aren’t she 
the little ol' treat- ^em-rough ? I almost wish I^d worn 
Biy uniform. ^ * 

But soon he followed his betrothed into the house, 
ftumbling over the angora, which received his smoth- 
ered anathema with a yawn of supreme boredom, as she 
resumed her former position and kept a wary eye out 
fpr two brown foreign devils. 

Guess 111 go and stumble over the cat, too,^’ said 
the ensign, and he also abandoned the garden. 

*‘I have,*^ said the leader of women, ^‘some remark- 
ible literature in my bag; 111 get it out, for I really 
must win William over to the Cause before I leave. 
He ’d be such an accession, so handsome and everything. 
He might even be willing to go on the platform. We 

have them, you know, and 

. She paused and both girls listened to Billy’s clear 
tenor as it came through the windows of the music 
room. 


PAGE TWENTY-NINE 


DOWN MIAMI 


Came the silvery sweetness of the voice that had 
helped so many weary hours glide so swiftly away the 
last three years in storm-swept France, bringing repose 
to tired hearts; 

‘‘Back to the road again, again, 

Out of a clear sea track; 

Follow the cross of the gypsy trail 
Over the world and back. 

The heart of a man to the heart of a maid. 

Light of my tents be fleet ; 

Morning waits at the end of the world, 

And the world is all at our feet/’ 

The two in the garden looked at each other and 
smiled, then the Girl said; 

“Then while you get your literature I’ll go and 
look up Isaac. He is so very old, you know, and I fear 
my uncle frightened him half to death.” 

Jeanette disappeared, and the Girl half rose just 
as there came around the comer of the house three 
brown miscreants. 

“La, Young Mis’,” remarked old Isaac, casually 


PAGE THIRTY 


DOWN MIAMI 


and quite pleasantly, ‘^Dar yo^ setsl*' 

‘*Oh, Isaac, how could you be so stupid? You and 
those dreadful dogs have broken my heart I And what 
shall I do with you while my uncle is here?^^ 

‘'La, Young Mis^’' quavered the old man, “Yo’ 
don^t feel no wusser than Ah does, ’cause yo’ uncle am 
suah gwine ter send me ter Kingdom Come, ef he done 
cotch me.” 

The Girl thought seriously ; then she said : 

“Isaac, I can only think of one thing to do, and 
that is to take you and the dogs down to the , grove to 
stay over Sunday. Now hurry and get a basket of food 
packed while I get the engine started in the launch.” 

As Isaac gladly hurried to obey she took the pup- 
pies and ran to the boat house, where the exquisite 
little launch was moored, and in ten minutes they 
were cutting the waters of the bay -blue-gold in the 
morning sunlight. Like an arrow they flew, startling 
a gentle porpoise and myriad schools of fish. 

The little dogs were in ecstacy and determined to 
leap overboard at every floatin,g cocoanut shell. 

“La, Young Mis’,” shouted the old darky, “dese 
am de beatinest pair of kioodles dat Ah is ever seed.” 

An avocado grove is one of the most beautiful of 


PAGE THIRTY-ONE 


DOWN MIAMI 


all Miami’s eharms. The trees are so large and sym- 
metrical, the leaves so lustrous and every bough ter- 
minates in a cluster of crimson glow, while green and 
purple pears hang pendant, like globes of waxen or- 
naments. 

The Courtney grove was closely fenced and a cabin 
and packing house were in the center. ' During the 
shipping season the grove was the scene of great ao 
tivity, when fruit brokers, commission men, pickers 
and packers were all busy there. Now, however, it 
was as silent and still as a country lane, for it was yet 
several weeks until ripening time. 

^ The Girl tied the launch and led the way along the 
path; then she paused beneath a large tree, where the 
clusters hung thickly. 

Isaac, I think some of these very large pears will 
ripen if I carry them home with me, so I'm going to 
gather a few of the darkest ones while you take the 
dogs up to the cabin, unpack the basket and bring it 
back to me.” 

Isaac vanished and she ran here and there, gath- 
ering some of the pears that hung within her reach. 
She had quite a large heap of the wonderful fruit, 
when she realized that Isaac had been gone an unnec- 


PAGE THIRTY-TWO 


I 


r 



“SHE LED THE WAY ALONG THE PATH.” 




DOWN MIAMI 

essarily long time, and at that very moment she fancied 
she heard, far away, the yelping of the dachshunde 
With an impending sense of calamity at her heart 
she began running toward the farther side of the 
grove. 


CHAPTER SIX. 


Now the yelping sounded closer, then it ceased; 
and she ran on and on, until she suddenly came upon a 
palpitating, disheveled old darky and two wriggling 
dogs, all of which had evidently just crawled or wormed 
their way through a narrow gap in the tall fence made 
by a broken picket. 

Isaac held one hand behind him and his eyes rolled 
wildly. ‘‘Poh de Lawd’s sake. Young Mis’, we is done 
jumped outen de fryin’ pan inter de fiahl” 

“What do you mean, Isaac? What do you mean? 
Where have you been ? And what is that you are hold- 
ing behind your back? Let me see at once,” she de- 
manded. 

Isaac backed away. 

“Ah’s done been next door. Young Mis’,” 

“Next door? Why that place is surely unoccu- 
pied.” 

“There’s folks livin’ there now,” Isaac groaned. 
“They is done got pens full of dese yere fancy fowls. 
Yassum!” 

“What, chickens?” 


PAGE THIRTY-POUR 


DOWN MIAMI 


‘‘Yassum, dat^s it, chickens, Young Mis^ chick* 
ens. ’ ^ 

‘‘Oh, Isaac, tell me the worst,*' she implored, trem- 
bling. 

“Young Mis', Ah went in de cabin ter onpack mah 
baskit, an* dese young varmints done run away from 
me. Ah searched fer 'em high en low, den Ah done heard 
a yelpin* next door, an* when Ah looked oveh de fence 
there was ouah, little hounds chasin' dem fancy fowls 
eround. Dey had already laid out foah on de ground. 
Heah dey is. ' ' He drew from behind him four brightly- 
colored, dangling young pullets. “If de ownah done 
find out dey is gone, he am gwine ter be powerful mad, 
an' we is better take ouah foots in ouah hands and git 
outen heah, befoah de stawm is done turn loose!" 

The Girl's knees were shaking, but even as she 
turned to fly a deep voice roared : 

“Here, you, wait!" and dbwn from the top of the 
fence came six feet of condensed fury. She hid her 
face in her trembling hands. 

‘ ‘ Madame, those mongrels have just killed four 
and injured six of my most valuable fowls. What do 
you mean by letting such curs run loose? WTiy don't 
you keep such beasts chained ? To hell with such curs, 


PAGE THIRTY - FIVE 


DOWN MIAMI 


I say! I intend to kill them; where are they?’’ he 
glared about. ^^It is a devilish shame, and I intend to 
take the matter into court unless you pay for them. 
Where are they ? Bring them out ! ’ ’ 

The girl was sobbing now, but she said brokenly: 

‘‘I will pay for the hens, but please, oh, please, 
don’t kill the dogs. They are my brother’s dogs, and 
they must not be killed until he comes home, at least.” 

She removed her hands and her dewy, violet eyes 
met those of the infuriated young man. He nervously 
mopped his face. He pushed back his thatch of auburn 
hair, he gulped, then he blurted out ; 

^‘Oh, hang it all!” 

‘H’ll pay for every one of them,” she repeated, 
and the sunbeams made a halo of her shining hair, 
while the south wind tossed teasing little curls toward 
him in a most defiant way. 

The distracted young man then exclaimed, feebly : 

“They’re not your dogs, you mean?” 

“Oh, no, thank heaven; they’re my brother’s 
dogs. But he is in France and I’m looking after them 
for him, and I seem to be doing it all wrong.” The 
sweet voice was tremulous, but roses now appeared in 
cheeks that had just been snow-white. 


PAGE THIRTY- SIX 


DOWN MIAMI 


*^Well, then, you aren’t really responsible for 
what the little brutes do. See here, I apologize for my 
rudeness. I howled like a bloomin’ savage. But you 
know what they say about people with my color of 
hair.” 

“You don’t know how ashamed and sorry I am.” 

“Forget it, won’t you? You see, it’s my fad, rais- 
ing poultry for the Eastern shows. Lots of pleasure 
taking cups and ribbons. Really my birds are some 
class. I’d like to show them to you, that is — er — if 
I’ve any left.” 

“They must be very valuable, and I’ll pay for the 
ones the dogs killed and the ones they hurt, too.” 

“But I do not want you to pay for them; really, 
I do not. Er — the fact is — er — I was planning to thin 
out some of the hens in that pen, and noiw that I come 
to think about it, your dogs have really done me a serv- 
ice. Besides, I should have mended the fence, as long 
as there was no one over on this side to mend it, so it 
was all my fault after all that the bally thing hap- 
pened. And then for me to shout all that beastly spiel 
at you!” He moved fence ward. 

“I must run, too, and see what further mischief 
they are in, ’ ’ and she walked rapidly toward the cabin. 


CHAPTER SEVEN. 


As she neared the cabin Isaac came to the door 
with a handful of brightly-colored feathers. 

It seemed to the perturbed Girl that he was always 
doing this disgraceful thing, and a wave of anger swept 
her as she came up to him. 

“Isaac, what do you mean by slinking away and 
leaving me to face the storm alone ? ^ ^ 

“La, chile. Ah was jes’ a fixin’ ter come on back 
there as soon as Ah got de fedders offen dese yere fowls. 
Don^t do ter let no fowls lay in the fodders. Ah^s 
gwine ter hab you de bes’ piece ob chicken you ever sot 
yer tushes in, as soon as Ah builds me er little fiah.^^ 
“Do you really think I could touch a piece of those 
poor chickens cried his mistress greatly exasper- 
ated. “Where are those dreadful beasts 

“Heah dey is, young mis’, in heah, erlong wid me. 
Dey is waitin’ for their share of chicken, yassum. 
Deir moufs is waterin’.” 

Isaac watched his mistress anxiously from the cor- 
ner of his eye, as she selected and pulled a stout switch 
from the nearest tree. 


PAGE THIRTY-EIGHT 


D OWN MIAMI 


^^What is yo’ fixin’ foh to do, cMleT’ he asked 
with his most ingratiating expression. 

^‘111 show you what I am fixing for to do,^^ she 
flashed hack at him. ‘^I’m going to beat those little 
wretches until they will never want to look at another 
chicken as long as they live. If they keep on doing as 
they’ve started out we’ll all land in the county jail.” 
And the whip whistled sharply through the air. 

Two long noses that had been thrust forward be- 
tween Isaac’s legs as he stood in the door now van- 
ished and sought sanctuary in an obscure comer of 
the cabin. Possibly spectres of Friedrich Wilhelm 
hovered before them. 

‘‘Young Mis’, yo ’ ain’t gwine to whup dem, is 
yo’? Ah axes yo’, as a favor, not to whup dem little 
hounds. Ah’s done took an awful fancy ter ’em, an’ 
yo’ know yer maw wouldn’t let yo’ whup ’em noway. 
Ain’t yer maw done blong ter dat Miami Insane Society, 
and she done learned yo’ never to whup nuthin’? 
Ah’s done gwine ter tell yer maw on yo’ ef yer whups 
dem little hounds. Ah is!” 

The old darky’s entreaties grew in volume, and 
he uttered booming moans that seemed to the Girl loud 
enough to be heard a mile away. She turned her back 


PAGE THIRTY-NINE 


DOWN MIAMI 


on the transgressors and cut her whip to pieces against 
a tree. Then she felt better. Her audience also regis- 
tered relief, but not contrition, for even as old Isaac 
stood wiping his tearful eyes out flew the pups like a 
streak of lightning straight to a certain interesting 
gap in the fence. But when they reached the goal of 
high hopes a pair of slender hands were just driving 
the last nail in place and the break in the fence was 
nicely mended, so that four disappointed, wicked eyes 
looked through a tiny cleft in a board into two smiling 
brown ones. Then these were thrust aside for a pair 
of violet ones to peer throUigh. 

‘‘How nicely you have mended it,’’ came the sweet- 
est voice in the world. “I shall send my servant the 
whole length of the fence to see if there are any other 
places these troublesome creatures can get through.” 

“Young Mis’,” said Isaac, iwho stood by with a 
dog under each arm, “Ah is gwine ter find a piece ob 
wiah and make these yere varmints a little run; then 
they cain’t steal no more fowls,” and the old man 
looked extremely virtuous. 

But their neighbor vaulted the fence with a coil 
of wire in his hand'. 

“Here is just what you need; let me help, and 


PAG^ FORTY 


DOWN MIAMI 


we’ll fix ’em up in no time.” 

So the Girl held the dogs while he and Isaac ran 
a length of wire between two trees and they were at- 
tached to this by rope looped in their collars. When 
this was accomplished, the Girl dimpled and smiled for 
the first time. 

“Now, then,” she said, “I guess you’re interned, 
you little boches.” 

“Then,” politely implored her much imposed upon 
neighbor, “please come over and see my birds. My 
mother is over there, and besides I have an American 
Beauty with fifty roses on it — I counted' ’em this morn- 
ing. Don’t you simply adore roses ? You look as if you 
did. My name is Clifford; we’re from Virginia,” he 
added. 

“Yes,” answered the Girl, “I do adore roses, but 
I don ’t feel so keen about chickens this morning. Queer, 
isn’t it?” 

“Never mind,” he said confidently, “your troubles 
are all over for the day, ’ ’ and she really permitted her- 
self to believe that he was right. 


CHAPTER EIGHT. 


So it was a very gay and smiling pair of young 
people who passed out of old Isaac’s vision, and he re- 
marked to his depraved companions, which were pull- 
ing frantically at their rope ’s ends : 

“Dere dey goes. Dey is buried their bone, same as 
you buries yours, and it looks powerful like they was 
going ter keep it buried, but you digs your bones up, 
don’t you? Whoo-ee!” 

Now that Isaac was free to resume his unhallowed 
designs on the pullets, he pursued the uneven tenor of 
his way, singing lustily, the while, a wild African ditty 
of his forefathers, savoring strongly of the jungle. 
Expostulating soulfully, the dogs added their bit to 
the concert, the whole making a very effective jazz. 

“Heah, you scandaniferous weinie-wursts,” shout- 
ed old Isaac, stepping to the cabin door, ‘‘you hursh 
some of dat sturbance. Ain’t Ah fixin’ you something 
you can sharpen your tushes on?” 

“Cullud pusson, if youse got any eats, gimme 
some, won’t you?” 

The old man jumped as there came suddenly 


PAGE FORTY-TWO 


DO WN MIAMI 


around the corner of the cabin a most unprepossessing 
tramp. 

'‘La sakes, strangeh, you is plumb scared me nigh 
outen mah hide. Is yo’ hongry?’’ 

“Nigger, I'm that hungry I could eat a horse col- 
lar." His eyes fell upon the dogs. “Git them sausages 
out of my sight or I'll swaller them whole. Hey you !" 
he chortled at the dogs. “You best quit lookin' so 
all-fired appetizin' around here!" 

“Go way, man," chuckled the importunate negro. 
“You would suah hab a spensive meal, 'cause them 
there hounds is worf two thousand dollars." 

The tramp looked astonished. “What, yer means 
that all three of yer is worth that?" 

“No, sah, jes' dese hounds is worf dat. Ah ain't 
worf nothin'," replied Isaac truthfully. “De dawgs is 
worf dat 'count ob their petticoats." 

“I get you, nigger, you mean pedigree." The tramp 
bent over the dogs. 

“I used to work around a kennel once. You don't 
see many of these kind of dogs. Once I seen one of 
them almost get run over by a train, but he stepped 
off the track sideways just in time." 

“He, he," giggled Isaac, “you is a funny talkin' 


PAGE FORTY-THREE 


DOWN MIAMI 


man.” 

^^I think you are funny, too, dear heart. But canH 
you give me a bite tp eat? I have not had a thing but 
fruit for two days.” 

‘‘La sakes, is dat so?” Isaac looked ready to cry. 

“Aw, don’t take it so to heart, coon-skin. If you’ll 
fry me a coupla dozen eggs and a pound or two of 
bacon, I’ll be shootin’ along on my way and thank 
you, too.” 

“Ah was just fixin’ foah to fry foah pullets when 
you drapped in,” said Isaac. 

“Fried chicken, ye gods! This is the life!” cried 
the snow-bird, with rapture. 

“Just you wait,” grinned Isaac, rejoiced to find a 
kindred spirit. So he returned to his cooking and the 
tramp heard him inside. Then his greedy eyes flew 
to the dogs. 

“What’s a plate of fried chicken to two thousand 
dollars worth of sausage ? ” he muttered, feeling for his 
knife. He quickly severed the ropes and crept quietly 
away with his prizes and, gamboling away from the 
best friend they had in the world, the Dachs were soon 
lost to view. 


CHAPTER NINE. 


When the old darky came out with his lovefeast 
he looked about in vain for his quondam guest and his 
beloved dogs, and when he saw the cut ropes he gasped 
in dismay. 

‘‘Dey ’s gone ! Dey is done been stole ! Dat stran- 
geh is done went wid Marse Donald *s hounds. Young 
Mis’ am gwine to bust mah haid! open. Praps they’s 
in the pens next door,” he grinned, hopefully, and ran 
to the fence. ^‘No, de fowls is all peaceful and quiet; 
dey cain’t be dere.” Then he shouted lustily over 
the fence for his young mistress, but all was silent as 
the grave, and ho hastened back to the cabin. 

In it was a telephone that the Justice had placed 
there for the convenience of the fruit brokers and han- 
dlers durin,g the marketing season. Isaac was desper- 
ately in awe of it, but he felt that the situation called 
for heroic action, so he lifted the receiver cautiously 
and, stepping as far away from the devilish thing as 
possible, he roared with all his might and main: 

“Ah wants ter tell dem dere police gemmans 
down in Miami that ouah two little brown hounds is 


PAGB FORTY. PIVB 


DOWN MIAMI 


done been stole. Yassnm! A tramp done stole them. 
They done stole some fowls, and while Ah was er 
fryin’ the fowls dey done stole a tramp done stole 
dem. Yassnm!*’ 

^‘Get off the line, yon fool,” came a harsh voice 
so close in his ear that he jnmped violently, and:' the 
receiver fell clattering to the floor. 

“La sakes, if Ah didn’t think that was Young Mis’ 
uncle standin’ right long side of me. Done told me to 
git off the line. Ain’t standin’ on no line,” and he 
looked at his feet, vaguely puzzled. 

At that moment, to his infinite relief, he heard the 
voice of his young mistress, who was coming slowly 
through the grove with Francis Clifford, in dazed fe- 
licity, by her side. Then there burst into this exquisite 
moment a wild-eyed, undomesticated-looking old 
darky. 

“Young Mis’, Ah is done got awful news for 
yo’I Marse Donald’s hounds is done been stole! Yas- 
sum,” and the old man broke into loud sobbings. 

Only a cardinal in a tree close by heard Mr. Clif- 
ford’s impassioned “Thank heaven,” but the cardinal 
was a bird of honour and never told. They succeeded in 
getting a fairly lucid' account of this latest calamity. 


PAGE FORTY-SIX 


DOWN MIAMI 


Then Mr. Clifford said: 

“Now, don't worry, Miss Courtney, that chap can't 
be far away. I'll get my motorcycle and scout about 
and be back here with those delightful boches before 
you can count fifty." 

“Oh, if you can only find them! I don't know 
what my brother will say if they are really lost." 
And the girl looked worried. 

“I'll find them, never fear. Now just watch me 
evaporate!" He rushed away and again the cardinal 
heard him mutter: 

“The damn dogs! I hope they're in a sausage 
grinder by this time. They say every dog has his day, 
but we can't all be dogs. Still this may be my day to 
be a lucky dog." 


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“FAR ACROSS THE BAY, EVER IMPLORING TO COME CLOSER TO THIS 
ENCHANTING PARADISE .... THE ATLANTIC.” 


AFTERNOON 



CHAPTER TEN. 


As Mammy would have said, the sun was shining 
‘‘tereetly oveh” the bird bath at Only, Only Land, 
and the blue jay, water-ruffled until he looked almost 
as large as an owl, and therefore extremely formidable, 
plunged agaiu and again with gusto. 

He came to the top and gazed ruminatingly at 
two golden butterflies fluttering just above his head, 
wondering idly why butterflies never bathed. He 
thought them rather lacking in this respect. 

The blue jay was cock-o ’-the-bath, and' he spent a 
large portion of his days fighting the other birds away 
from the bird fountain. Even now his feet were grow- 
ing quite cool and he was very sleepy and longed to fly 
over under the lacy branches of the great poinciana 
tree and tuck his head under his wing for forty winks, 
but he rolled his eyes sideways, mule-like, toward the 
brilliant clump of scarlet and yellow crotons, for he 
know that, hidden timidly among their leaves, a soft- 
breasted dbve, gt yellow-throated nuthatch and a golden 
lined flicker, amiable birds, waited impatiently for 
him to fly away that they in turn might take a cooling 


PAGE FIFTY -ONE 


DOWN MIAMI 


dip in the white marble basin. 

But he stayed on and on, though his feet were 
growing colder, and he was very, very sleepy. 

If the pugnacious blue jay had lifted his eyes to 
a certain balcony of a certain red room he might have 
seen some one to whom his nature was quite akin. But 
that^s neither here nor there. 

When the Girl ’s five guests discovered' her absence 
they were somewhat puzzled, but it was little com- 
mented on, as each of the five had absorbing self-inter- 
ests, and her speedy return was taken for granted'. 
After Mammy had served an exquisite lunch Billy had 
taken Donald’s motor canoe and was breaking records 
on the bay. 

Miss Burnett was writing suffrage reports, Doro- 
thy was taking siesta and the young doctor and Mr. 
Chase, now somewhat less morose, had had a myste- 
rious conference, immediately following which the doc- 
tor had mounted Donald’s motorcycle and journeyed 
toward Miami at a pace that threatened' to add seven 
dollars and a half to the city’s finances. Luckily, how- 
ever, the '‘speed cops” were patroling Buena Yista and 
the northern parts of town, so he arrived unmolested, 
and after paying a visit to his office, several drug 


PAGE FIFTY-TWO 


DOWN MIAMI 


stores and an electrical supply shop, he again broke 
the speed limit back to the once peaceful home of the 
Courtneys. 

Shortly after his return Dorothy discovered him 
in the library, compounding some villainous-looking 
liquids that emitted strange and fearful odors. 

“What on earth are you doing, Luke Lancaster T* 
she demanded', with well-merited suspicion. 

“Pipe the human interrogation point,’’ said the 
doctor to nobody in particular, and without looking up 
from his engrossing occupation. 

“I insist upon you explaininjg all this at once,” 
pointing, though knowing it was rude to point. 

“What d’ye mean? Shall I give you a detailed 
panegyric of every article on the table?” teased the 
doctor. 

“ I don’t want a pan of anything, but I certainly 
do want to know what you are into this time!” 

“I am making money so I can begin wearing those 
sideburns. ’ ’ 

Oho-o! Making money?” She ran and peered 
eagerly among the bottles and parcels. 

“You must have just taken a foolish powder. I sup- 
pose, though, I shall have to explain, if I get any peace. 

PAGE FIFTY-THREE 


DOWN MIAMI 


IVe a bet on, even money, iwith Mr. Chase, that I can 
cure him of his rheumatism by Monday night, and I^m 
goinig to make a dash for the post. Now canter away 
and don’t bother me.” 

‘^But what is the stake, dear?” 

‘^Five thousand bucks, old thunder,” answered 
Luke, brightly. 

His betrothed hesitated, however, as she reached 
the door. 

^‘But, Luke, I thought you were a veterinary, ” she 
threw at him over her shoulder. 

‘‘What of it? You go and talk to the Suffering-yet 
and gallop out of here,” he returned "with some em- 
phasis. 

Dorothy vanished'. 

Muttering an occasional lurid word, he proceeded 
with his executions (appropriate word) and, having at 
last finished to his satisfaction, he gathered' up a load of 
bottles and instruments and cockily took the stairs at 
a bound. 

He knocked at Mr. Chase’s door and entered. That 
gentleman was sitting on the balcony from where, far 
beyond the bay, he could see a great ship on the At- 
lantic steaming southward. The bay was filled with 


PAGE P IF TY-FOU R 


DOWN MIAMI 


craft of every description and' above it, sailing play- 
fully just above these boats, vras one lonely seaplane. 
The old Van, from Jacksonville, was slowly plowing 
her way through the channel on her usual Saturday 
visit to Miami. 

Mr. Chase loved this view and he now felt more 
calm and peaceful than he had at any time during this 
strenuous day, so the look he now turned upon the 
alert young doctor was scarcely what might be de- 
scribed as affectionate. 

^‘Here I am, my dear sir, right on the spot, ready 
to begin treatment, ’ ’ he began, but was interrupted by 
a knock at the door. He strode over and threw it open. 
Mammy stood outside, holding a tray. 

‘‘What is all this?’^ asked the doctor, severely, 

“Dis yere am some supernatural sulubrients foi 
Massa Chase. 

“Didn’t the gentleman have his lunch?” he de- 
manded. 

“Yas, suh, but Ah done thought he would' like some 
creamature refreshments. ’ ’ 

“Ah, I see. Well, Mammy, you just set that tray 
down on the library table, and I’ll — er — attend to it 
later. And you hurry back up here, Mammy, I have 


PAGE FIFTY-FIVE 


DOWN MIAMI 


something for you to do/’ 

“Yas, suh, yas, suh,” replied Mammy, her mouth 
open. 

‘‘Here,” he said as she reappeared, “take these 
chairs out in the hall. Now shove that table over 
against the wall and pull out that couch. That is it; 
I must have plenty of room.” 

He removed his coat and rolled! up his sleeves. 
The patient now appeared in the long French window. 

“Here, what are you about?” he demanded, dis- 
trustfully. 

“That’s all right, Mr. Chase, quite all right. Here, 
Mammy, screw this in the electric light; remove the 
bulb, of course,” he commanded sharply. 

Mr. Chase began to register misgiving. 

“Just get out of your clothes now, Mr. Chase, and 
into this bathrobe,” ordered the doctor gently but 
firmly. 

The patient now registered distinct alarm, but the 
astounding physician gave him absolutely no chance 
to make any direct remonstrance, for he himself de- 
livered an amazing monologue, to which his patient, as 
well as the unsophisticated Mammy, listened with open 
mouth and staring eyes, as he was quickly divested of 


PAGK FIFTY-SIX 


DOWN MIAMI 


his harness'^ and wrapped in his “blanket/* 

He had Mammy rushing here and there on capri- 
cious errands, and finally when the room had been 
turned into chaos he sent her running to see how hot 
the water was in the kitchen tank. 

Mammy’s eyes were ready to pop from her head 
as she lit the gas beneath the tank with great swiftness 
and accelerated her speed back up the windin^g white 
stairway. Her soul yearned, even fainted to under- 
stand' the singular performance in the red room, and 
she meant to miss not one jot or tittle of it. But when 
fi^he reached the door of the scene of interest it was 
closed and locked, and Mammy felt a stinging sense of 
injury. However, true to her racial instincts, she glued 
her eye to the keyhole and listened to the amazing and 
terrifying sounds that issued from the room. 

“What’s this you’re doing now, hey? Suffering 
cats! D’ye think I’m a horse? Gosh! That bites, 
you fool! Take that infernal thing off of me! Hold 
on there, now; what’s that for? Now quit that, damn 
you! D’ye think this is a livery stable, hey? You 
damage me, young feller, and I’ll have you arrested! 
That stings; quit, I say! Oh, curses!” 

“Oh, come, now Mr. Chase,” drawled the young 


PAGB FIFTY-SKVEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


doctor, ^‘this doesn’t hurt and you know it. Besides, 
you promised to play fair. The treatment may be a 
bit strenuous, but ” 

^‘Strenuous, the devil! Here, igive me a drink.” 

‘‘No, sir, Mr. Chase, got to cut that. Nothing but 
water.” 

‘ ‘ Suffering cats ! I never drink water. I suppose 
you think I’m going to swallow the poison in those bot- 
tles, don’t you?” 

“Sure, and if I cure you I’m going to name this 
compound after you. This is an original composition. 
By Jove, look at that, will you?” 

He regarded the bottle fondly as he drew the cork 
and held it to the light. A fine vapor arose, and to the 
invalid it seemed to sparkle with malignant brightness 
as he glared at it in silence. He held his nostrils 
tightly until the doctor reluctantly replaced the cork. 


CHAPTEE ELEVEN. 


‘‘Yes, you Ye doing fine, Mr. Chase, simply fine, 
and by the time IVe given you a dozen more treat- 
ments, and you have gotten well into these bottles we 
can tell who 11 win that five thousand/^ 

The young doctor threw open the hall door as he 
spoke and Mammy, caught unawares, staggered into 
the room. The doctor looked at her calmly. 

“Ah, Mammy? Yes, a wineglass. That's it. Here, 
you give my patient this while I use the telephone." 

Mammy carried the medicine to the millionaire 
invalid as the doctor left the room. 

“^Woman, do you want to earn another dollar?" 

“Yas, suh, dat Ah does." 

“Then chuck that poison out the window and hold 
your tongue about it." 

Mammy -did as she was told and hid her dollar in 
her stocking just as the doctor re-entered the room. 

“Just ordered out another little contrivance I 
happened to think I could use," he said enthusiasti- 
cally. 

“Suffering cats! You have enough rot here now 


PAGE FIFTY-NINE 


DOWN MIAMI 


to raise fifty dead men/’ replied his patient coldly, 
with all enthusiasm completely eliminated from his 
enunciation. 

^‘Not at all, not at all, my dear sir,” replied the 
gentle doctor. ^^How do you feel now, sir?” 

“Fine. I feel stronger every moment, and when 
I look at that poison you intend to name for me I 
could run a mile.” 

“Did you ever get in an ice-pack, Mr. Chase?” 
asked the doctor, eyeing him speculatively. 

“By the eternal, no!” shouted the exasperated Mr. 
Chase, “and I never expect to, either.” 

“Be calm, Mr. Chase, be calm,” commanded his 
physician, with an inscrutable smile. “You will now 
try to sleep.” 

“I’m hungry,” complained the patient bitterly. 

“Excellent, wonderful!” cried the doctor. “The 
treatment is acting instantaneously. You will soon 
have a fine appetite, but no food today. You may, 
however, have the juice of limes, no sugar, and tomor- 
row we will have a bit of brown bread toast, no butter. 
That is all the food the treatment will assimilate with- 
out disastrous consequences. Now you may, as a spe- 
cial favor, have your choice of either Epsom salts or 


PAGE SIXTY 


DOWN MIAMI 


castor oil, and Mammy shall go with me to prepare it 
for you.’’ 

Mr. Chase rose to his full height. He was evid'ently 
about to make a telling remark, but obviously changed 
his mind. He allowed the doctor to force him gently 
back among his pillows. 

That’s it, my dear sir, play fair. Now in two 
hours I shall return to give you another treatment. 
Something like the first, only different. Of course, we 
are taking it gently at first, you know. Come out, 
Mammy.” 

Mammy followed the doctor down the stairway, 
and at the foot she turned to gaze at him in awe min- 
gled with admiration. 

*‘Ah ’dares to igracious, Marse Lukem, you is suah 
de doinest doctor-man dat eber did! Ah wishes you 
could cure me ob dis misery Ah is done got.” 

‘^Why, are you ill too. Mammy?” His tone was 
so sepulchral that Mammy groaned. 

‘^Do you feel lethargic at nights?” 

Mammy denied it vigorously. 

‘^What, don’t you feel soporific at the bed-hour?” 
He looked alarmed. 

‘^No, sah, Marse Lukem, Ah ain’t neber felt neither 

PAGE SIXTY -ONE 


DOWN MIAMI 


spoperific nor anarctic/^ 

‘‘Why, that is most extraordinary. Look here, at 
what hour do you consume your matutinal nourish- 
ment?^’ 

“Ah ain’t never done dat neither, noway.” 

“I see, I see, but immediately after breakfast do 
you feel an obvious loss of appetite?” he inquired 
anxiously. 

“Ah does. Ah does,” affirmed Mammy in terror. 

“Well, Mammy, I can scarcely give you a diag- 
nosis of your malady without holding an autopsy, but 
from existing indications my precursory opinion in- 
clines to ward-er-Dammerschlaf . ’ ’ 

“Damn what?” groaned Mammy. 

“Oh, well, never mind,” answered the dbctor, 
soothingly. 

“My Gawd!” shrieked Mammy. “What Ah am 
done igot am too bad to say out loud!” 

“I can cure you, just give me time,” and with these 
comforting words this astonishing physician passed 
with pompous stride into the garden, where he spent 
the next two hours alternately teasing and making love 
to Dorothy. 


CHAPTER TWELVE. 


At the end of the two hours the doctor knocked 
gently at the door of the red room. Receiving no an- 
swer, he entered and fonnd the room quite empty. 

On the table was a note, evidently hastily written, 
addressed to him. 

‘'You win,^^ said the note. “I^m cured. — Chase. 
P. S. — For gosh sake, don’t name any poisons after me; 
we have never had any disgrace in our family!” 

The note enclosed Mr. Chase’s personal check for 
five thousand dollars, and the doctor surveyed it with 
real affection. Strangely enough, he seemed not at all 
surprised at this termination to the episode, and he 
looked up to discover Mammy gazing at him with an 
inexplicable smile ; so he remarked hastily : 

“See here. Mammy, are you not cognizant that you 
must immediately imbibe a quantity of my Dammer- 
schlafic counteractive? Your condition is precarious. 
It will soon be getting along toward twilight.” 

He loaded her arms with the Chase treatment. 

“Ah ain’t got no money, Marse Lukem, Ah’U 
done have ter pay fer this heah healin’ on the insultin’ 


PAGE SIXTY - THREE 


DOWN MIAMI 


plan.’^ 

“Seeing it^s you there will be no charges/^ de- 
clared the doctor magnanimously. “Are you going to 
have chicken pie for dinner, and some hot biscuit' and 
honey, with perhaps chocolate cake and peach ice? 
I’m very fond of all these useful foods. The calorie 
percentage of them is high.’’ 

“Ah’s done aims ter hab all ob demy Marse Lu- 
kem, only we is jes’ out ob caloric;-'* But, Mafse Du- 
kein, is you suah dat dese heah healins* will cure dat 
dam trouble 

“Woman;” he* demanded sternly, “were not Mr. 
Chase just restored to ■'his buoyant self by these samo 
healings?”' 

“Dat he were, honey, dat he were,” and Mammy 
disa|)peared kitchenward. ^ 

In the hall he' met Jeannette. 

“I met Mr.‘ Chase as he was leaving, and he de- 
clares that you are a wonderful doctor!” 

“K that ao? 'Where has he gone?” 

“Really; I do not know, but he seemed in a great 
hurry. He walked quite briskly, ever so much better 
than' when he arrived. 

“I see, I see,” answered the prosperous doctor. 


PAGE SIXTY - FOUR 


DOWN MIAMI 


‘‘Now, can’t I prescribe for yon? I see a few freckles 
on your nose.” 

“Ah, no, I intend to gouge them out myself with 
an ice pick and fill up the holes with putty, then smooth 
with a hot iron.” 

“That is exactly the treatment I intendied using, 
but be sure to kalsomine over each cicatrix until in- 
visible,” and he went his merry way, smiling gently. 

In the library he discovered Dorothy, who was 
now gowned in a very frilly, fluffy gown that looked 
to him like the rose leaves in the garden. She looked 
like a million dollars, only she was very near tears. 

“What is the trouble, dearest?” asked Luke, tak- 
ing her in his arms. 

“Mamma just called up and Jeannette answered 
the telephone. She asked who was here, and when 
Jeannette told her she was simply furious. She says 
if I do not come directly home she will come after me, 
so I must go, you see.” 

“But just look at this.” He exhibited the afflu- 
ent check. 

“Ohoo-oo!” she exclaimed. 

“All of that and then some, old thunder! Now 
let’s go into town and get married at once, immediately, 


PAGE SIXTY-FIVE 


DOWN MIAMI 


forthwith. Will you, dearest 

She would, and Donald’s motorcycle acting this 
time as the bridal chariot, he sat her on it, where she 
poised like a lovely pink butterfly, and away they 
went, without a grain of rice or a mustard seed, into 
that old new world. 


CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 


The bay was growing all rosy-purple, as a very 
tired-looking girl and a dejected-looking old darky 
moored the launch to the dock at Only, Only Land 
and turned toward the house. 

Billy saw them coming and ran to meet them. 

Great heavens! What’s wrong, and where on 
earth have you been all day?” he asked in consterna- 
tion, as he saw the Girl’s distressed expression. 

‘‘Stolen!” gasped the Girl. 

“What, you were stolen?” 

“No, no, Donald’s dogs.” 

“By Jove, what will Donald say?” 

Old Isaac walked with bowed head carrying the 
basket of pears. He wiped away a tear. Marse Don- 
ald was his idol and he felt that the loss of the dogs 
was all due to his carelessness. 

“How did it all happen?” again questioned the 
ensign. 

Jeannette joined them now, too, and the Girl 
dropped wearily upon the steps as she told the story 
of the day. 


PAGE SIXTY-SEVEN 


DOWN MIAMI 


“But where are the othera?*’ she asked, her story 
finished. 

“Your uncle has gone away,” answered' Jeannette. 

“Was he, then, so very angry because I disap- 
peared? I intended to be back before he ever missed 
me.” 

“No, dear, it was not that at ail. He went away 
because Doctor Lancaster cured him of his rheuma- 
tism,” explained Jeannette kindly. 

“But Luke is a veterinary,” cried the Girl. 

“Then your uncle must have been spavined and 
also most likely had distemper,” said Billy. 

“I really do not understand. But where are Doro- 
thy and Luke?” questioned the poor little Rip Van 
^ Winkle. 

“I think I see the doctor coming now,” answered 
Jeannette, “but I’ve not seen Dorothy since her mother 
called her up over the telephone hours ago.” 

Luke fwhirlwinded up the drive and, dismounting, 
joined them on the steps. Importance seemed fairly 
oozing from him. 

“Congratulate me, everybody! I’ve been and gone 
and done it!” 

“What on earth can you possibly mean?” asked 


PAGE SIXTY-EIGHT 


DOWN MIAMI 


the Girl. 

^‘IVe just come from the altar, sacrificed myself. 
Sort of burnt offering. I was at the beach yesterday. 

“What, you’re married?” gasped the Girl. 

“I are married,” he affirmed. 

“But where is the bride? Where is Dorothy?” 
they all cried*. 

“Oh, she is gone to carry the olive branch to our 
mother,” he explained, coolly. 

“What, alone? Why, her mother will just about 
murder her, poor girl. ’ ’ 

“Well, she knows the old lady better than I do, 
doesn’t she?” placidly replied the bridegroom, “and 
I told her that as soon as she got her mother cooled off 
to call me up here and I would go over and ask her to 
take me for a regular boarder.” 

“Well, you are surely the limit,” they cried with 
one accord. 

“Poor Dorothy,” mourned the suffrage leader. 

“You’re a dead one now, old horse,” said Billy. 

But the Girl only smiled, and the smile held a 

tear. 

“I wouldn’t call the queen my cousin,” said the 
bridegroom. 


PAGE SIXTY-NINE 


DOWN MIAMI 


“Donald’s dogs are stolen, old man,” said Billy. 
“Don’t you want to scout about a bit with me and hunt 
for them?’’ 

“What, the royal boshes gone?’’ cried Luke. 

Again the girl told the sad tale of the Deutschland 
immigrants. 

“How like the home life of the late Kaiser,” cried 
Luke. “I hope my wife will hitch the dog question 
and the suffrage question outside of my fence. But 
let’s beat it. Bill; I bet we can locate ’em.” 

The men hastened away and the girls sat on in the 
sunset glow that tinted the land and sky and bay. All 
was hushed, for at the shrine of the night, just around 
the corner, the birds were telling their beads, while the 
roses parted thirsty lips, eager for the first drop of dew’. 

Mammy came, announcing dinner. 

“Ah is done igot de most elaboriferous dinnah dat 
Ah is ever cooked, an’ nobody, scasely, ter eat hit,” 
she grumbled. 

But the ensign and the doctor returned as the 
girls were unfolding their napkins. 

Dinner over, the men were just leaving to resume 
their search, when a dark figure ambled in at the gate 
and beside it were seen two long, low shadows. The 


PAGE SEVENTY 


1 




) y 


“AH WAS ER GROPIN’ EROUN’ ON DE JUNGLE-ROAD 



DOWN MIAMI 


figure doddered along toward the path of light that 
came from the house, and the Girl suddenly gave a 
shriek and fell down the steps toward the shadows. 

^‘It’s Isaac,*’ she cried. Isaac has found Donald’s 
dogs.” 

Yassum, heah dey am, Young Mis’. Glory haller- 
lujer! Ah is done got ’em safe.” 

They all gathered about him. Even Mammy stood 
in the circle, her eyes shining with pride. 

And Isaac spoke. 

^‘Ah was er cr opin’ eround on de Jungle 5'Oad, an’ 
Ah comes ter de Punch Bowl, an’ Ah cropes in there 
an’ Ah comes right on ter where dat strangeh was 
a-makin’ his camp, an’ dar was ouah two little brown 
hounds settin’ by de fiah, watchin’ de white trash make 
cawfee in er can. Ah done had mah cudgel in one 
hand, an’ Ah done pulled mah razah outen mah sock 
wid de other hand, an’ Ah bust right in there givin’ 
dat rebel yell what yer grandpa w done holler at de 
Yanks. Man, honey, dat strangeh done took ter his 
heels like de debbel was after him, an’ Ah done took 
Marse Donald’s dawgs an’ brung ’em erlong home. 
Yassum.” 

The Girl gathered the scapegrace puppies in her 


PAGE SEVENTY-ONE 


DOWN MIAMI 


arms as she laughed. 

“Isaac’s brought home the bacon!” shouted the 
doctor. 

“You mean the sausage,” corrected Billy. “Here, 
Isaac, go buy yourself baccy,” and he tossed' him a 
bill. 

“Here’s another one to keep that company,” 
laughed the young doctor. “I’ll get you a job on the 
police force the first thing in the morning, old sleuth. ’ ’ 

Isaac went away, igrinning broadly, with Mammy 
shuffling close at his heels muttering : 

“Heah, nigger, gimme dat ar fortune to take care 
ob f er yer. ’ ’ 

Came the whirr just then of the telephone. 

“Let me answer that,” cried the doctor. “Yes, 
that was my wife,” he said, rejoining them a minute 
later. “Mamma says, ‘bless you, my children,’ so I’m 
ofoing over to the beach right away. I hear a car com- 
ing now.” , 

Billy ran to the piano and pounded out a wedding 
march as the young doctor ran off into the darkness. 

Jeannette went to her room to write an important 
letter that must be taken to Miami for the night mail, 
and Isaac came and carried away the puppies. 


PAGE S E V K N T Y - T W O 


DOWN MIAMI 


“Young MisV’ he remarked earnestly, “they is 
done pervided theirselves wid er meal two times today, 
an’ they ain’t vitualed yet. Now All is done gwine ter 
feed them twell their stummicks done drag on de 
ground.” 


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THE LONG ROW OF LIGHTS ON COLLINS’ BRIDGE— TWO MILES AND A HALF OF THEM. 






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NIGHT 




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CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 


“Down Miami the coming of the night is only 
the tender unfolding of the moonlight into the sunset, 
and the sky, low-hanging and velvet-black, quickly 
springs into blossom with its myriad of peeping stars, 
until it is like its earth-sister, the jasmine tree, in 
bloom. 

The Girl walked alone in the garden, where all 
was once more calm and sweet after the turbulent day. 

The visiting kitten, like a soft shadow, paced to 
and fro beside her as she walked. 

The mockinjg-bird' was singing now, for the sweet- 
est notes of all his day of song come after the dusk; 
then he goes quite mad with joy and pours it all into 
his twilight lilting. 

In a far corner of the garden a night-blooming 
cereus was lazily unfolding great yellow and cream 
blossoms. Mysterious things of the night they were, 
quite droiwning the fragrance of the jealous roses with 
their bewildering and heavy perfume. 

.The Girl lovingly touched here and there a flower 
as she walked, and a shimmering little glow-worm 


PAGE SEVENTY -SEVEN 


DOWN MIAMI 

w'hich lay in her path she tenderly lifted and placed on 
a rose that she held in her hand, where it shone like 
a drop of dew. 

Soon she and her guests would drive in the big 
car to Miami, and she could see the far-away lights of 
the town sparkling away down past the crescent of 
the bay shore, and beyond these were the long row 
of lights on Collins Bridge, two miles and a (half of 
them, shining like a milky way across the dark and 
whispering bay. 

As she lingered among the roses a car came swiftly 
up the drive and, seeing her in the moonlight, Francis 
Clifford came striding to her. 

“That fellow seems to have miraculously van- 
ished,” he said, “but I’ve a bunch of men out still 
searching. Please don’t think I’ve not tried my very 
best to find your dogs.” 

“Yet,” said the girl mischievously, “they did kill 
your lovely, lovely chickens.” 

“Hang chickens! I’m looking at your lovely, 
lovely hair. It gleams like spun gold in this moonlight. 
Do you mind my telling you? Won’t you tell me your 
fiiT,t name? Your servant called you Young Miss. Siich 
a quaint little name ; but tell me your real one, please.” 


PAGK SEVENTY-EIGHT 


DOWN MIAMI 


*‘My name/' she laughed up at him, ''why, it's 
Prances, same as yours." 

He gasped, then he said solemnly: 

“It's fate! Don’t you know it?" 

“The dogs are found," the girl went on gently. 
“Isaac found them an hour ago. The man was camping 
at the Punch Bowl and Isaac came upon them there. 
He had no trouble getting the dogs. So now they are 
safe in the house. But I do thank you so much, far, 
far more than I can tell you, for searching for them. 
So you see the long day of trouble has ended beauti- 
fully, after all." 

He replied with a happy sigh: 

“And now I must go and call my men in off the 
hunt. But may I come tomorrow and make my formal 
call? May I, Frances?" 

“I think perhaps you may, Francis," breathed the 
other Frances. 

Came a gentle voice out of the dusky garden : 

“Young Mis', yer maw am suah gwine to git her 
dander up when she done gits home, ’cause them there 
varmints has done went and chawed the haid nigh 
offen that white bearskin rug she done sots sech store 
by." 


F A Q E S E V E N T Y - N I N E 


DOWN MIAMI 


Came old Mammy’s penetrating whisper: 

‘^Come away, yo’ fool niggah, an’ let Young Mis’ 
erlone. Cain’t yer see she am courtin’?” 


(The Close.) 


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Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing Agent; Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: 

JUL B96 


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BBRKEEPER 


PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 
111 Thomson Park Drive 

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